Midnight Sun
by Azrael Lake
Summary: And for the first time in almost a century, I felt hope." Jasper didn't know when he walked into the diner that his entire life would change. He didn't know he'd meet his soul mate. This is the story of Alice and Jasper uniquely told by two people.
1. A Note from Azrael and Ru

Alright.

This story is actually a role play that me and my beloved writing partner have decided to release to the public.

This is the story of Alice and Jasper, from the time when they meet in the diner in Philly up to, I imagine, when the series begins. We don't know how far we're going to go, or where the end will be. I only know that there's a lot of ground to cover before we have to worry about any of that.

Ru is playing Alice, and I, Azrael, am playing Jasper.

Just so you're all aware, the format of this is going to be quite different than your typical story. Because we're role playing this as the characters, and we both make rather significant posts by role playing standards, this means a lot of internal thought process, and not so much dialogue. The even chapters will be from Jasper's point of view, and the odd chapters will be from Alice's point of view.

We are very proud of our work so far, and so we wanted to share it with others. Please read and review and enjoy!

~ Azrael and Ru.


	2. Chapter 2

He leaned against the side of the building. The rain beat down on the sidewalk of the streets of Philadelphia with an angry force. Most everyone stayed inside today, as the bell in a church ten blocks away chimed the time. Even with the distance and the howling wind and rain in his ear, he heard the chiming echo in his ear as if he were standing right at the foot of the church. The bells marked the hour. It was noon. It was twelve in the daytime, and he was standing in plain sight on the sidewalk. This was such a strange phenomenon. For the better part of a century, all he had known was the night. The land was covered in a dark veil, and everything is the same color. One needed only to adjust their eyes to see clearly. But then the sun would rise, and its pure light would set the world with a dark image behind every lighted surface and object. The rays cast so many shadows that the day created more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night. For all the time that he had existed, he had grown to understand the night. He knew her as well as he thought he had known himself. Intimately, like a lover. He had framed his entire second existence around her. He was sure of her.

He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

A family rushed past him, all crowding under a single umbrella. If there were people on the streets, they were acting similarly. Running, splashing puddles as they went, and not caring – they wanted only to get out of the cold and wet. He wondered briefly if it were going to snow. He had lived in the south all of his life, and the century of mere existence afterward. He had never seen the snow in person, only what they showed in the theater. He wondered if it was all it was cracked up to be. In a similar fashion, he had never seen himself or another of his kind in the sunlight. He heard rumors that his skin would gleam like diamonds in the light, but he'd never witnessed it for himself. In Monterrey, his only other companion besides his maker was the nighttime. Even when he'd left her and traveled with his friends Peter and Charlotte, they'd never really ventured out into the daylight, even when far from any civilization, which they rarely ever were. _Old habits die hard, I suppose._ He mused to himself as a mother ran out onto the stoop of her building, clinging to an umbrella. She called a boy's name, and peered out into the sheets of rainfall. He watched as her eyes searched the street, and eventually landed on him, standing across the street from her. He felt her worry fade and surprise take its place. He clearly saw his inhuman beauty reflected in her eyes, despite the distance between them. There was a faint pressure in his chest as she registered his features, and suddenly her emotions became scattered. He was sure he must have looked just the same when cornered by Maria, Nettie, and Lucy about a century ago.

He furrowed his brow as the desolation that was his existence for the past hundred years all flashed before his eyes. Every moment since he'd been reborn registered in his memory, and played behind his eyes, and it was over and done within a hundredth of a second. His obsidian eyes hardened, like onyx stones, and the woman seemed to sense his change, the edge to his features. She must have realized she was staring because she quickly looked away and called the name again. A small boy ran up the street, his clothes soaked. Her worry faded away at the sight of him, and she reached her hand out to the boy. He took it, and they went inside together. But the woman gave him one last glance before she closed the door. But the obstruction did not make her yearning fade from his memory. It happened so often when he came across mortals. When he tried to take the frightening edge off of his features, there was always this yearning as they looked at his immortal face. The girls wished that he would come to them in the night, wished that he would look into their eyes and see their soul, and fall in love with them. The men would look at him and feel envy. If only their weak human eyes could see his body riddled with crescent shaped scars. Would they find the monster so beautiful then? But these longing emotions were always followed by the appropriate feelings when they saw his strange crimson eyes, or perhaps witnessed the impossibility of his abnormally sharp teeth. They noticed the odd grace with which he moved, and despite their secret yearning, first and foremost they began to feel fear. This was appropriate, and it usually always saved their lives, unless he was especially thirsty. Because of his strange power, he was able to feel their fear as his own, and it repulsed him. He would move away from their fear, but there was nothing he could do to put distance between himself and the monster he saw reflected in their eyes. But that doesn't mean he didn't try.

He'd left Peter and Charlotte so long ago. He couldn't handle the killing anymore. All of his existence as a vampire was surrounded on destruction. He was created to kill. It was all he knew, it built his world. Peter showed him that there was more to being an immortal, that he could find love and exist in a peaceful happiness. But even Peter and Charlotte killed to stay alive. He was sick of it. There had to be another way to exist without taking any more human lives. He'd built up his resolve, and he left his friends in Richmond to be on his own. He traveled the length of the east coast, heading north. He would go weeks without killing, but after awhile he'd get too thirsty. Of all the things he learned during his time with Maria, self-control was not one of them. If anything, she taught him to abandon all control. Without control, there was only raw power for him to use, and with her benefit. He'd lose his will, and kill again. He couldn't stay strong in his resolve if he was thirsty, and the only way he could cure that thirst was to break his resolve. It was a vicious circle, and one he saw no way out of. He made his way from Richmond to Baltimore, from there to New York City, from there to Boston, and from there across to Philly, where he now stood in the rain. Would he forever wander had he had for the last couple of decades? Lost and hopeless, telling himself not to kill only to later succumb to the beast inside of him? How long could he stand to live this way?

There was a flicker of light above him. He glanced up through the rain to the sixth floor of the building. A curtain was slightly askew, revealing the warm lamplight of the room within. It was the woman who had been on the stoop. She was looking down at him, admiring from a distance again. He reached in his mind to feel her emotion. The yearning again. And, as he lifted his chin to look at her, embarrassment for being caught staring. She closed the curtain with some new kind of resolve. He leveled his head, and his eyes scanned the streets. It was only misting now, and more people were emerging from the buildings where they had taken cover. Cars passed and splashed puddles up onto the sidewalks. His straight-legged jeans were soaked at the bottoms where they met his black boots. His simple black t-shirt was damp as well, and clung to the hard lines of his torso. He had no jacket, though the chill in the air had a bite that hinted at the coming winter. His choppy, wet, blond hair stuck to his stone skin, a shade darker than it would have been if dry. He didn't feel the cold, though, and the wet was only a minor annoyance. But he was sure he must have been attracting too much attention standing there, unaffected by either element. He glanced around, searching for a place to go, a place where he wouldn't be noticed and could pass the time without any stares or questions asked. He then eyed the perfect place, just down at the corner of the block. It was a bar. Not the kind that the businessmen went into for their lunch hour martini. No, this was a bar for the blue-collar worker. A place where the average man could go for a shot of whiskey and a beer. This was a place where he could walk in and be just another man, and no one in particular. He decided he would go in, ask for a beer that he would not drink, and there he could be left in piece for at least a couple of hours. There was surely to be no one in there that would notice another lost soul.

He pushed off the wall and made his way down the street, keeping his eyes on the pavement as he did so. The less attention he could draw, the better. He moved with the currents of people, and finally got to the corner. He walked up the steps and pushed open the great wooden doors. Finally out of the misting rain, he took the opportunity to fan out his shirt and shake the loose water droplets from his hair. While he did so, he reached out again with his mind, sensing the feel of the mood of the bar. Mostly there were only tired old men and workers on their lunch break in this early in the afternoon. The place felt pretty numb and detached. Most of the bodies in the room matched this feeling. All except for one.

Jasper furrowed his brow. From one high chair at the bar, there came this radiating feeling of happiness. It felt out of place in the fairly dreary bar. He lifted his head to look at the source of the unusual happiness, and his unnecessary breath hitched in his throat at what he saw.


	3. Chapter 3

Alice was…well, waiting, to put it lightly. How long had it been since she had first seen him in her visions? She knew she was supposed to meet him, and there was some deeper purpose behind it. What it was, she couldn't quite place yet. She simply knew that he was going to be part of her immortal life for a very long time. That he was as lost as she was.

The real trick had been finding the bar. The vision had been just that: a bar somewhere, no place she recognized immediately, and he was there. Jasper. She knew that she had to find him, and she knew that she would find him unless some strange event or some change of his mind prevented that one scene from coming to be. But the vision hadn't changed, giving her the closest thing to confirmation that she could find. He would definitely be there, wherever 'there' was, and she would be there to meet him. It took her a month to locate the bar, but not needing sleep helped a lot in her search. It was a blessing, being able to look at night and on the dreary days. Philly was the last place she expected though. Why, of all places, would he be there? Had his travels just taken him there? Well, it was no coincidence. She was sure of that. Or was it? Her visions were imperfect and just because she could see the future, that didn't mean she knew the reason for the future. Young as she was still—in vampire years, anyways—she had very little control over her 'sight'. Alice practiced and practiced and practiced, and had to admit that she was definitely doing better. She just…had to keep trying.

Regardless, it didn't stop her from being overjoyed the first time he'd shown up in her visions. There was something about him, despite the numerous scars that decorated him. He was almost magnetic to her even if it was just visions that she had seen him in. It was a blessing to finally know that she no longer had to be alone in this desolate world. As soon as he came to the bar, she'd go to him. She knew that he'd go with her—she'd seen that too—and they'd find the Cullens.

The Cullens were another part of her string of most recent visions. Edward, Rosalia, Emmet, Esme, and Carlisle. They were exactly what she was looking for. They didn't kill, they were a happy family, and she and Jasper would fit in perfectly. They would be welcomed with open arms. She'd be closest to Edward, but the rest would be just as welcoming and kind. It was the kind of lifestyle that Jasper was looking for too. Heck, Alice had even started practicing. It showed by the way her normally red eyes had started to fade to an odd mix of gold and scarlet. They weren't completely the liquid gold she knew they would eventually become, but they weren't the normal blood red of a vampire either.

Ah, but there was one problem with her visions. She could see what would happen, and there was the obvious problem of them being subject to change if the whims of the people they involved change. But the main problem was that she couldn't always see reactions and emotions. General ideas and a general feel of how things would go, sure. But as to pinpoint emotions and facial expressions? She wasn't that good yet. She could sometimes see what they'd say, but other than that, it was still a work in progress.

The young 4'10" woman had ducked into the bar well before the rain had started; she had known it was coming. Every eye had been on her at first. It wasn't often that a girl went in a bar, even one that doubled as a diner. Smooth music was playing, the kind of music that some parents of the generation looked down on still. Elvis would be getting big soon, and people would burn his records. 'Elvis the Pelvis'. She was looking forward to that. For now, she bore a plaid blue skirt that reached to just below her knees and a matching sweater top, the sleeves rolled up, her socks ankle high and complimented by saddles shoes. Slim and graceful, her pixie cut that she would never change (she knew that for a fact without being able to see the future) still the same bright reddish auburn, currently bearing a matching blue bow, she was a vision of elegance mixed with spunk and flared with a bit of style.

It was nearly time. He'd be walking in any minute, and it had her on edge. She was excited and could barely contain herself. Any second…three…two…one…

The door clicked open, and she didn't even have to look up. The smile lit up her face once again, and she slid from the bar stool with ease. All eyes were on her again, but the only eyes she could bring herself to care about were his. Every scar was plainer now that he was in front of her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. There was no need to judge him, just as he wouldn't judge her. Her eyes, so much keener than a mortals, took in every detail of him. She read his body language, saw the individual rivulets of rain slide down his body, saw the tone of his muscles chiseled beneath the black shirt that clung to him. He'd seen her; she could tell by the way he watched her, and he knew who she was. So with the graceful steps that characterized her so well, she danced her way across the room to him, a mischievous light in her eyes. "I knew you'd come. You've kept me waiting a long time."


	4. Chapter 4

(I forgot to add the disclaimer on the first few. Obviously, neither Ru nor I own anything of the Twilight universe. If I did, I can assure you, I wouldn't be here right now. All of these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Copyright laws, blah blah blah...)

He had seen her only a second after he walked into the bar, and yet she was already walking towards him. In that one moment that his eyes locked with hers, several things inside of him happened at once.

She was obviously one of his kind. Her looks and scent aside, her gait was enough to tell him. As she moved towards him, it was like she was dancing across the floor to him. She moved with more grace than he was used to seeing from the vampires he encountered. The swiftness with which she moved and the way in which she carried herself was enough to break any ballerina's heart. He knew just by looking at her that she was the kind who could create poetry with the way she moved her body. Maybe her grace has something to do with the fact that she was about a full foot shorter than he. Or maybe her ethereal movement was to make up for her height.

But she was moving towards him, without hesitation, and he wasn't sure what to expect. All of his decades as a vampire told him that she meant to attack. He had been trained since his rebirth into this new existence to fend off attack, and he was taught always to win if it came to a fight. With the raging newborns, he had to win. If he didn't, he would be dead. They would advance with a daft ferocity, unrelenting, vile, like the angry brainless zombies in the scary films that played in the theaters. It was the exact opposite of how she approached him now. But that was all his past experience had to offer to explain what she was doing. She was making a beeline for him. He looked into her eyes, which were a peculiar dark amber color like he'd never seen on a vampire before, and saw something unexpected. It was as if she _recognized _him. He quickly replayed his entire century of memories as a vampire again in his mind, but he was sure he'd never seen her face before. It was rare that vampires ever forgot anything. Their minds were so expansive that there was room for infinity. Of all the names and faces he could recall, she matched none of them. But that look was unmistakable. It was like she knew him, like they were old friends. Like she'd known him for years. From his old life, perhaps? Back when he was still known as Jasper Whitlock? No, he was sure he'd remember her, even though the majority of his human memories were still quite hazy. When he had first laid eyes on Maria, Nettie, and Lucy, their beauty was unrivaled to anything he'd ever witnessed before. But this girl who stood before him was more beautiful than all three of them put together, and then some. He couldn't figure it out. He didn't know her, and yet she obviously knew him. And, though all of his experience told him that he should set himself in a defensive stance, somewhere deep inside he knew that she meant him no harm. Her eyes were alight with some kind of happiness and anticipation, as if she had been waiting for him.

But it was her smile that convinced him that she was not dangerous. It was a brilliant smile that lit up her entire face, even up to her sparkling deep amber eyes. Just for a moment, he was completely mesmerized in her beauty. He was used to seeing female vampires, but none of them compared to this woman who was making her way towards him now. He was aware of how ravaged he must have looked so close to her. The planes of her face were flawless, every feature perfectly placed. And there he stood, his entire body marred by scars, which would stay with him for the rest of his days. And unlike the human eyes in the room, this angel's deep amber eyes would see every detail of the scars of his past with perfect clarity. He must have looked like a monster.

All of that processing took only a half of a second. And it was only a hundredth of a second later that his power took over.

Since the night he was changed into what he was now, every moment of existence had been spent in darkness. He was born to fight, and he was reborn to fight. Nearly a hundred years on the earth, and the only strong emotions he had ever experienced was a consuming fire of hatred, and then the desolation and emptiness of depression. The night was all he knew.

So it amazed him that now, standing in this hole in the wall bar in Philadelphia, it was as if the sun was rising. That's what it _felt_ like, at least. The emotions radiating off of her were like nothing he'd ever felt before. It reminded him of one day when he was just a boy, growing up in Texas. He had been laying in an open field in mid-July. There were huge fluffy clouds and giant thunderheads all over the sky. There was one such thunderhead in front of the sun, shading the entire field. But the warm breeze was pushing the cloud away. He watched as the shadow moved across the field, chased away by the rays of the sun. It was coming towards him. He closed his eyes, a deep shade of green then, and waited. He felt it first on the tips of his fingers, because his one arm had been stretched out above his head. The warmth stretched down the length of his arm and then finally hit his face. Those his eyes were closed, he was still able to see how the rays lit up his eyelids, and the warmth spread across his face, down his body, and down to his bare toes. Now, standing in this bar nearly a century later, he had the same sensation, and it was all emanating from the woman now standing in front of him.

The night was all he had ever known. He had never rested once since he was created. His kind didn't need to sleep. All of his nights bled into each other, as if he had been awake for one night that lasted a century. But suddenly it was as if the sun with all its light and warmth was rising over the horizon in his nighttime. A midnight sun. It lit up his darkness, filled it with…hope? Yes. For the first time in about ninety years, he felt hope. It radiated from her pale skin, and on to his. With hope so strong, there was no way he could doubt it. She could only be sincere. Her hope, it was for him. For them together. He knew it, he felt it as his own. It staggered him with its power, and in that moment he knew that some how, this was supposed to be.

And the entire thought process only took him a few seconds. She covered the final steps with her dancer's gait, the smile spread across her face, and came to a stop only an arm's length away from him. She spoke to him then, and her words came out like sweet music in his ears. She said that he'd kept her waiting for a long time. She'd been waiting for him? But he'd been traveling for years. How would she know he'd be here, in this random bar, when he'd only made the decision to come here a few minutes ago? But even though it was strange, his etiquette forced him to put primary focus on her words, and not on the meaning behind them. He dipped his head and a crooked grin spread across his face. "I'm sorry, ma'am." He still had a bit of a southern twang in his smooth voice, but with every year he was away from the south, it faded more and more. When he lifted his eyes again to meet hers, she had offered him her hand. He furrowed his brow for a moment, but before he was entirely sure of what he was doing, he felt his own hand in hers. And when they touched, there was electricity between them, a static charge that hung in the air. It was as if they were two halves that were now whole again. Her skin was soft under his touch, though he knew that to any mortal here it would feel hard as stone. He didn't know where she was going to take him, but knew only that he trusted her, because he could feel that she trusted him. And so, however peculiar the situation seemed, he would follow her wherever she would lead him.


	5. Chapter 5

So long. It felt, to her, like it had been much too long since she'd been in the presence of another of her kind. Of course, that was because she didn't know any others of her kind. She'd survived how she could for as long as she could, and knew nothing of other vampires. No memories to go with the face in the mirror, no one to guide her through the difficult years of being a newborn—at least, she'd assumed she was a newborn when she'd woken up those years ago. She had no knowledge of her life prior to that, but the thirst and hunger that had been there were enough to tell her that she wasn't like this before. As time had gone on, she'd gained control of herself and had learned to coexist with humans without the constant need to feed off them. What a blessing that had been for her, to be able to walk among them.

Of course, there had been the first time she'd gone out in the sun. What an odd thing that was, sparkling as she had. It was as though she were made of glitter, or perhaps hundred, thousands of tiny diamonds. What few humans who had been around at the time had openly gaped at her, and she knew then that she couldn't be seen in the sun. Since then she'd spent her life in the dark of night, lonesome and always waiting. For what, she was never sure—not until this moment. Or rather, the moment his face had surfaced in her visions. He was who she had been waiting for all along, the one who would bring her out of her own dark, lonely night and into the light of day. The southern drawl in his voice was delectable; it brought a delighted giggle from between her lips, and she was completely lost within his presence for the time being. The air around them seemed electric, bouncing off the hardness of her skin and buzzing in the air around them. Perhaps that was her own excitement? Oh, she was a bundle of mixed emotions—but one could most easily describe her as 'sunny'. His hand fit most smoothly into her own when he took it, a sign of his acceptance of her, and of her acceptance of him. Alice had accepted him long before this. Accepted him as a crucial part of her future, though she was not yet sure of exactly how crucial a part he would be.

Now, love between Vampires is said to be a peculiar thing. It strikes fast, like a fairy tale, and is ten times stronger than mortal love. It is binding in a way that can only be felt, not described in words. That isn't to say that it is always love at first sight—no, it starts as a sort of fascination, a devotion, a desire to be near to the object of one's affection and to learn more about them. These were the things that Alice felt at that very moment, as the electricity from his touch flew up her arm and through her body. For the first time that she could ever remember, she felt weak and perhaps very mortal. His skin was warm and soft, despite the rough scars that her thumb idly traced out for a moment. "It is nice to meet you, Jasper. I'm Alice." Not that he had mentioned his name to her yet; she just knew. That was one of the great parts of her gifts. The smile on her face didn't waver in the slightest as she tugged him back towards a darker part of the bar, where they could sit unobserved and talk with one another. A few people still stared, but most had finally gone back to whatever they were doing. "We're going to get along great. We're even going to stay together for quite a few years." The atmosphere radiating off the petite beauty was confidence; she was so sure of all of this! But Jasper was an immediate part of her future, one that she didn't want to lose anytime soon. And, according to her visions, she wouldn't lose him anytime soon in the first place. He'd stay by her side, and they'd eventually make their way to the Cullens. From there, she didn't know exactly what would happen. She couldn't see that far into the future just yet, and there were many different decisions that could possibly be made along the way that would determine all of this.

As she lead him towards the little nook in the back of the pub, she couldn't help but to twirl once beneath his arm, gracefully skirting around every obstacle as though it were not even there. When she finally slid into the little booth, she let his hand free, folding both of hers pristinely beneath her chin. It seemed as though the energy was still soaring off her, as though she might burst from the booth at any moment and dance across the room with a ballerina's heart in hand. But she did not. Instead, her eyes took a far off look for a moment, staring at something that no one else could see. Her tone was slower now, less energetic but somehow electrifying to hear. "I'm tired of killing, too. There is a family that lives off the blood of animals. The Cullens."

It was probably unnerving him, the way she seemed to know everything. But she didn't explain just yet. It hadn't occurred to her that she should explain, actually. It seemed like such a natural thing to her that she often forgot how easily it could throw others off.

The dark eyes unglazed, and she flicked them back to him, her smile once more falling into place. It was radiant and alive with joy, triumph, and eagerness. They had a new life ahead of them, one that involved each other and a family. A life that didn't involve killing or hurting humans.

She thought on that prospect a moment. Alice herself had already started practicing, feeding off of the blood of animals. She had gotten better about attacking humans, though animal blood was a hard diet to get used to. She knew she'd do good with it because she had made up her mind that she would, and that decision directly affected her visions so that they now showed no human blood anywhere in her near future. Make sense?


	6. Chapter 6

Jasper watched with fascination as she took his hand. Her felt her finger trace gently over one crescent shaped scar on his palm. Her smile was brilliant and the hope radiating off of her was so intense that it stuck a small grin on his face as well. Her peculiar eyes were so expressive that he didn't even need his strange ability to understand that she was thrilled to see him. But why? Then she spoke his name, and introduced herself. He felt intensely like he was missing something. How did she know his name? Did he tell her in his haze, just as he took her hand almost subconsciously? He replayed the last minute in his mind. No, he had been too staggered by her beauty and her hope to speak until she had initially spoken to him. Even now, her hope was so sure. It never faltered. He was sure, he would have felt it if she had. What reason did she have to be so sure? How could she know that he would react the way she did? If anything, the fact that she knew his name already should signify to him danger. She had recognized him. She knew his name. What else did she know about him? This could be a trap, an ambush. She could have been a mate of one of the hundreds of vampires he had killed in his time. She could be keeping him distracted while other vampires slip into their places surrounding him, preparing for attack. Paranoid? Maybe just a little. But where he came from, it was better paranoid than dead. Back down south, a situation like this was just the formula for attack. He was in an unfamiliar area with a stranger who knew him. This _should_ have concerned him.

But it didn't.

What was going on? She said they were going to get along? She said they were going to stay together? She knew this for a fact?

Maybe it was her hope. Maybe it was the honesty in her eyes and her brilliant smile. Maybe it was that fact that she willingly turned her back to him. All of his instincts gained from the first sixty or seventy years of his screamed that this was just an act to lower his guard. When he was still with Maria, and fighting in the vampire wars, if he had turned his back to an opponent, that would have been his end. Even to lure his opponent into a false sense of security, he would never have turned his back. Surely, if the woman were specialized in the kind of training that most vampires from the south were, she would have known that. When she spoke to him, her musical voice held no trace of a southern accent. But that meant little. He didn't know what it was that compelled him to follow her, but he did. It was a strange feeling to have such blind trust in someone.

As she led him towards the back of the diner, she lifted his arm, and it went willingly. It was almost as if he knew what she intended to do. He lifted his arm over her head, and as she began to twirl he helped by rotating his wrist. It seemed natural that she should twirl like the ballerina whose gait she owned. It made a small smile spread on his face, watching her dance across the floor. She dropped his hand when they got to a booth far away from the rest of the inhabitants of the place. Not that the distance mattered. He and this vampire could talk at a speed so fast and a tone so hushed that it would be a mere buzz in the air. The humans would be none the wiser. But he sat down across from her without a word. He leaned back in his seat and watched her carefully, his onyx orbs always aware of her and his environment. He watched as her gaze went unfocused for a minute, like she was looking at something he could not see. Maybe she was. He waited patiently. Then her eyes refocused on him. She said she was tired of killing too, and that there was a family, the Cullens, that lived off the blood of animals. She use the word _too_ which meant not only that she was tired of it, but that she knew that he was as well. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him that she knew he was depressed over his life of killing humans, after she had already known his name and where he would be at exactly this time on exactly this day. But it did. He furrowed his brow. How could she know as much as she did?

She was finished speaking, and looking at him still, her amber eyes matter-of-fact in her knowledge of him and this family that she mentioned. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the table. He chose his words carefully, confused and a little stunned over the situation still. Then he flicked his obsidian eyes back to the beautiful girl sitting in front of him. "Um. Alice?" Her named rolled easily off of his tongue, as if it was a name he had been used to saying to for years. His tone held a notable trace of confusion. "Could you perhaps enlighten me as to how you know who I am? And how you know what you know about me? And maybe some more about yourself, as I seem to be at some sort of a disadvantage." It was in his nature to be polite with women. His voice was rough sounding even to him, or as rough as a vampire's voice could be anyway. He remembered vaguely that it had been about two years since he had actually held a conversation with anyone. Anything else in the way of speaking had been merely mumbled one-word answers. He had deliberately avoided all kinds of contact, be it with humans or vampires.

He thought a moment about the other part she mentioned. "And who are the Cullens?" A family that lived off the blood of animals? He had never heard of such a thing. Briefly, he wondered why he had never thought of it. He remembered spending many nights in forests, away from civilization. Often times he would cross paths with a herd of deer or even a stray bear or coyote. He had never once thought about substituting their blood for a human's, mostly because, when one compared the two scents, the animals smelled damn near repulsive. He couldn't imagine that they would taste any better. How could one commit to living off of the blood of animals and still surround themselves with humans? It was beyond him.


	7. Chapter 7

Alice gave a little blink, confusion washing through her for a moment at his…strange question. How did she know so much about him? Oh, right. She gave a small laugh, more at herself than at him, and shook her head a little. "I'm sorry. I haven't talked to someone like this in a long time." She explained good naturedly, her dark eyes looking over his shoulder a moment as she thought over a way to explain her gift. After a moment, she looked back to the blond vampire, an impish smile lighting up her features as she leaned towards him, voice dramatically hushed even though there was no real need for it. "I can see the future." She informed him, voice mystic and magical, as though she were some ancient sorcerer. Which she wasn't. She was simply a young woman—er, vampire—trying to have a bit of fun. Breaking into a full fledged grin, she leaned back from him again. "They're not set in stone, of course." Alice began, her expression suddenly turning serious. "I can only see what path a person is on. If you were to change your mind this instant about coming with me, then the future I see for you would change. I saw you coming, and was able to see that you were looking for a way to get away from murdering. I'm still not exactly sure why I saw you in my visions even though we'd never met, but I believe it is because our futures are directly connected. I made a decision to find someone like myself, and suddenly, I saw you."

With that out in the open now, she was sure things would make a lot more sense to him. Yet for a moment, her perfect self confidence wavered. What if he made the decision, right this instant, to get up and leave? If he walked out that door, would her future suddenly be blank again, full of more nights by herself, struggling to control her thirst and living off the blood of animals? Like a diet of beans and rice, it was enough to sustain her, but left her weaker than she knew she really was. The hunger was hard to deal with at times but that decision to not bite humans anymore was one that she would stick to. She would not be a monster.

Even if humans would forever see her as one.

It was, truly, a blessing to be seated across from someone who was one of her own kind. Once they were a bit closer, she could ask him everything—how vampires were turned, what it felt like. Were they often abandoned as she had been? Why were they made, and who made them? Could she turn other humans? What research she had managed to do really uncovered very little for her. There were so many myths and legends, and she knew for a fact that she had a reflection and that garlic had no affect on her whatsoever. Other than making her cringe, that is. The smell was nauseating to her overly sensitive senses. That, affectively, was very much beside the point. She was sitting across from the first of her kind that she'd ever met, and she was practically bubbling over with excitement and curiousity. But his questions had made her realize that she needed to slow down, that he wasn't a mind reader—or a psychic. She wondered, idly, if all vampires had some sort of ability. If Jasper had one, he already knew it and had discovered it, because she did not see it in their future at the moment.

His name off her tongue had sounded like heaven, as corny as it sounded, and it made her insides warm to hear it. Whatever future they had together, she couldn't wait to live it. Visions may have been helpful, but they were nothing compared to the real thing. Living something was far better than just seeing it. A vision did not give you the senses other than seeing; you could not feel to experience the pain or the pleasure, the emotions, the scents and the sounds and the clarity. So though she'd heard her speak his name before, it was nothing compared to the way it sounded to her now. Everything seemed to fit perfectly together, as though they were two halves of a whole that had been kept from each other until now.

With a graceful hand, she moved a strand of hair out of her pixie like features and mulled over his question of exactly who she was. How did she answer that one? "My name is Alice. I have no more answers for you, other than that." She answered honestly, placing her chin in one palm. "I have no memories of being human. I woke up like this one day, hungry and alone." The memory of that was enough to make her shudder. She could vaguely recall some sort of burning, something that had felt like it might eat her skin right off her of bones, but she had no marks on her to show that she'd been burned anywhere. It was the only thing she knew about her human life, that burning, and it wasn't much to go by at all. It certainly didn't give her any leads. "And now, you owe me a bit about your past. I can see futures, not all of time." She would get to his question about the Cullens a little later. Right now she wanted to know more about him, to hear what his life as a vampire had been like. Was he like her, alone and thirsty and confused when he had woken up? She didn't think so. There were so many scars all over his body, so many marks that must have come from fights. They looked like teeth, and she could only fathom that they had been caused by other vampires. Without thinking, she reached one small hand out, taking his own and tracing lightly at one of the scars. There was just fascination, intrigue, and curiousity radiating from her—no disgust, or anything unpleasant at all. Jasper must have such a story to tell, and she was anxious to hear it.

She wanted to know what her life could have been like, what it might have been like. And what was more, she wanted to know about Jasper. Jasper Whitlock, who sat before her as the first of her kind that she'd ever laid eyes on, as the other missing half to the puzzle she'd been trying to solve for so long. With him here, maybe she wouldn't need to know everything about her old life. If she could build a new life, she would be happy with having no memory of her past one.


	8. Chapter 8

Jasper listened quietly to her musical voice. His onyx orbs watched her intently, noting small things about her. He caught himself watching her, and wondered briefly if this analytical nature that had been instilled in him would ever fade away. He doubted it. Thanks to Maria, he would live forever, never resting, always watching, always having to pay attention to every detail of his surroundings. He noticed that Alice sometimes bit her lower lip before she was about to say something. She smiled at him often. Her hand was graceful and swift as it brushed a stray strand of air out of her fantastically beautiful face. A human most likely wouldn't notice the intensity of his gaze because his irises were the same obsidian color as his pupils. Usually they needed the assistance of the difference in colors to know where exactly he was looking. It was like having sunglasses; only they only covered his irises. But her eyes would be able to pick up the subtle color difference between his iris and pupil.

Thinking about his black eyes made him realize the subtle burn in his throat. Up until a moment ago it had only been a small irritation, but as he realized it, it roared up his throat. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus. The broken men in the bar were slowly starting to smell better and better. He listened intently to Alice, focusing only on her. She described her power to him, and his interest won out over his thirst. As far as he knew, not every vampire had a power. He remembered back during the wars when he would have to alter his fighting strategies when his opponent had a special ability. Her story made more sense now. Her ability explained everything. She had known he would be here because she had seen it. She had known his name and that he would be willing to hear her out because he had been in her visions of the future. Briefly he thought back to when she said that they were going to stay together for a while. He wondered what this future looked like. He had been traveling alone for so long, he had forgotten what it was like to have a companion. But he admitted that any future with this girl in it seemed like a good one.

She knew nothing of her human years. Sadly this wasn't the first time he had heard of this. He had met a vampire once who remembered nothing of being human. The best that Jasper could piece together is that the vampire subconsciously suppressed memories of his mortal life, and he soon forgot about it all together. It was easy to do that with a vampire's memory. Though he could remember with infinite clarity every moment of his existence as a vampire, his human memories were clouded with haze. Some parts of his childhood he had forgotten all together. But the memories he revisited often were ones that were cemented now in his vampiric memory, never to be forgotten again. But if someone didn't know that, a lot of time would be lost, probably never to be remembered again. He wondered what it must have been like for Alice to wake up alone, not knowing who or what she was, with a thirst that she didn't know how to quench. He couldn't imagine the confusion. When he had risen from his burning, Maria was at his side with a catlike gleam in her eyes, stroking hair out of his face. She had told him everything about what he was, what he could do, what he needed to live off of, and why he had been made. Dozens of newborns had died as Jasper began to discover his strength. He couldn't imagine how Alice had made it through when she discovered what she was, having to discover it alone. He frowned. "That must have been very hard for you."

She asked about him, and it was his turn to explain. He wondered just how much she knew of him. If her visions had told her his name, what else had they told her? He watched her hand as it moved across the table and took his. Her finger traced the crescent shaped scar on his palm. He tensed a moment, knowing that she was analyzing his scars, and he wondered if she would turn away at the sight of them soon. But he read her emotions, and there was no revulsion or disgust. This surprised him. Every vampire he had ever come across always eyed his ravaged skin with either disgust or pity. He had become accustomed to the reaction, and even began to expect it from all the beings he came across. Even humans, though he knew full well that they would never see his scars unless they carefully inspected him under bright light. His scars disturbed even Charlotte sometimes, though she tried so very hard to hide it. Jasper had served in Maria's army a lot longer than her lover had, and Peter only carried a few scars with him to this day.

He didn't want to recount his dark past with Alice, who seemed so happy and pure. He didn't want her to see him any differently. But even as she looked upon the scars up and down his arms, even as she surely felt the gentle crescent shaped rift in his palm, the emotions radiating off her were nothing more than genuine curiosity and fascination. It seemed she was just as interested in hearing his talk as he had been for hers. She honestly wanted to know more about his life. She never did what he expected. It was this that convinced him to let her into his life.

"I was born in Texas in 1843. I was born in just enough time to become a man and serve in the Civil War. I lied about my age and enlisted in the Confederate States Army when I was seventeen. My father raised me to be a soldier. War was my life. I had many glorified and romantic ideas about what it would be like to fight in a battle. I was very charismatic, and rose quickly through the ranks. I was soon the youngest major in the army, even when I was lying about my true age. I was twenty when I met my maker. I was helping transport civilians away from the front lines, when I came across the three of them. They were the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life." He focused his eyes on Alice, and then added. "Up until that point. They argued among themselves for a moment as I stood there, paralyzed by their unnatural beauty. The leader of the three said that she saw something in me. She couldn't place it, but it compelled her to change me. She didn't ask, she just did it." He was going to smooth over the technicalities, but then he remembered that she had no memory. She probably wondered why she woke up the way she did. "When a human is bitten, but not drained, our venom goes immediately to their bloodstream. Essentially, it strips away everything that makes you human to only the basics, and then builds you back up again as a vampire. It enhances everything. Sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing. Even things like strength and speed. We become more durable. To humans, our skin feels like solid stone. Our body temperature drops. Not to mention incredible longevity. And yet we still look exactly as we did the day that we were changed. Now, it takes an incredible amount of change to our systems to become like this. It's excruciatingly painful. It feels like burning. Like your entire body is on fire, and no matter how hard you try to escape it, or turn your focus away from it, it never leaves. It feels like you're on fire for centuries, but it's roughly three days. Slowly, you become more aware of your surroundings, until finally the burning is only in your throat, and the pain is much more manageable. I woke up, and the one who had changed me, Maria, was at my side. She showed me what I was, how much I was capable of, and…what I needed to survive."

He went on, telling Alice about the vampire wars in the south, how he fought for his life every night for roughly sixty or seventy years. He explained that these fights were how he acquired his many scars. "Vampire venom is the only thing strong enough to leave a scar on our bodies." He explained. He told her about Maria, and how they were lovers for a time. But it wasn't a healthy relationship. He told her about the newborn army. "I discovered that I also have a special ability, like you. Not all vampires have an ability, and of those who do, there is never the same power that works in exactly the same way, though some are similar. I think this is because no one is exactly the same. From what I can best guess, when we change everything about us is enhanced. I was very charismatic as a human, and could often fool people in believing what I wanted them to, simply because of my attitude. So this got enhanced, and I found that as a vampire, I could actually control the moods of other people. I can quiet a room of angry people; soothing their emotions and making them feel calm. And I can also do the opposite." He figured the bet way to get this across would be to show her. There were more people in the bar now. He took in the atmosphere for a moment, and then exercised his ability. It could be imagined sort of like a bubble. It was very small, but he forced it to expand over his head. He pushed it out towards Alice, and expanded it all throughout the room. It was dark, and heavy, suppressing all the good feelings in the room, and spreading desolation and emptiness, like all the happiness had been sucked from the room. He watched as the people at the bar shifted uncomfortably. One old man stared into his beer, seemingly collapsing into himself with sadness. Jasper looked to Alice, who was also effected by this. Quickly, he withdrew his power, and the imaginary bubble could be seen drawing back from the edges of the room, all the way back until it was once again just a small bubble over his head. Then he did the same thing, only this time the room turned light and carefree, with giddy happiness and hope radiating out into the room, like the warmth of the sun had risen in the establishment. That same old man looked up from his drink, a pleased smile creasing his face. He turned his gaze out the window, not even noticing the bleak rain outside. Jasper looked again back to Alice, who seemed to notice this change in the atmosphere as well. Again he withdrew this feeling, and returned his eyes to rest on the woman in front of him. "When surrounded in a room by irrational, volatile newborns, it comes in quite handy. I can affect the feelings of others, but their feelings also have an effect on me. I feel the emotions of others just as clearly as they themselves feel it. Like an empath."

He went on to tell her about how, after a long time with Maria, depression consumed him. He told her about his companion Peter, and how when they were ordered to kill the newborns, Charlotte among them, Peter went rogue and ran away with her. He left Jasper alone in his depression, with Maria, who was growing continually more tense around him. He was worried he would soon have to kill his maker, or risk being killed first, but Peter returned some time later, telling him about a life he never knew he could have. "I'd never known anything other than fighting, my whole life as a human, and my whole existence as a vampire. But I was sick of it. Peter convinced me that there was more to being a vampire. So I left." He counted his years of traveling, but being around the blissfully happy couple only worsened his depression. "I couldn't even feed in peace. I would feel their fear as my own. It made me sick. Sometimes I would resolve to not hunt at all, reasoned to waste away alone in some grave, too weak to move or speak but unable to die. But I don't have strong enough control to keep from feeding. The farther I am from feeding, the weaker my resolve. I just can't help being a monster."

He looked away from her as he said the last, not able to look into her unique amber eyes. He couldn't understand why they were that color. Unless animal blood affected one's system differently, in which case she must have already tried the diet. He was quiet for a long moment, and then looked up, ready to switch the topic of conversation away. He was done discussing his past. He had lived it already, and now preferred not to remember it. "Animal blood, huh? I would very much like to hear more about these Cullens." Someone opened the door to the bar, and the gust of wind carried her scent to his nose. In his hunger, she smelled delicious. He wrinkled his nose and slammed his eyes shut, trying again to only focus on Alice. If she had already committed herself to this animal diet, he would never forgive himself if he killed in front of her. His eyes were still closed as he spoke again. "Perhaps you could tell me more outside. Somewhere away from people?" He asked, his words strained, and his body tense. He wasn't willing to test how much longer he would be able to keep his control. It was a mistake to come into a bar, a place where humans were sure to be, in his hunger. But then he opened his obsidian eyes to look once again upon Alice. No, not a mistake. He could regret his decision to come here. It had brought him to her, and he was not yet willing to be away from her. To wish they had never met, even though he had only been talking to her for a small amount of time, seemed already like a blasphemous wish.


	9. Chapter 9

Though any normal human might not have noticed the intensity of his gaze, they would have surely felt it—like a nagging feeling in the back of their head, that small burning one occasionally gets when someone is staring too hard at them. A normal human might have shifted uncomfortably, and their eyes would have looked around for whatever was causing this disturbance. They may or may not have known what they were looking for, but once or if they found it, they would have been slightly startled and even more uncomfortable. But none of this was so for the petite Alice. She knew that Jasper was watching her with an eagle's eye, watching every movement and calculating every split millisecond. And she was not uncomfortable. Her smile stayed in place, yet it was an ever changing smile. One might not realize that a smile in itself can be so expressive, but the slightest curve in Alice's lips, the slightest change to it, conveyed an entire new set of emotions. Curiousity, to astonishment, to excitement, to a mixture—all could be read in that smile, if only the other person knew to look. But just as Jasper could study her so intently, so she could study him. She noted the smallest ticks in his expression when something she said caught his interest. She noticed the black of his eyes, and the way his throat seemed to clench and his face seemed to tense when he realized the hunger rising up in him. She watched, fascinated, as he calmed his hunger and brought his focus back to her.

He might have found her fascinating, but she found him to be the most interesting thing she'd ever come upon in her life as a vampire. The first of her kind that she'd ever met, the hope for her future…he was already so much to her. Her smile fell as he began to recant his past to her, her expression becoming serious, but still she leaned forward as though to hear better (though they both knew it was not necessary) and her eyes were wide with disbelief and enthrallment. So this was the world she had never known? In her minds eye, she formed a picture for everything he told her. It was as though she were watching a movie. Three young beautiful women, each with midnight black hair and pale skin, blood red eyes that shown in the night. They were not exactly like the real ones, but to Alice, they were real enough. The stereotypical vampires of lure. Vividly, her mind painted pictures of everything he told her. As he spoke her small hand moved from idly tracing the scars to holding his, as though she might never let go. Cold skin upon cold skin was surprisingly warm to her, for she'd never felt another vampire's touch. She knew that her skin was cold and hard to humans, but his was warm and soft to her, only slightly marred by the scars that she barely noticed as she looked upon him. As his tale washed over her, her dark eyes closed to imagine it all. A beautiful, charismatic, human Jasper living the less than legendary life of a soldier. He was unmarred by scars, but in her mind glowed just as wonderfully as he did now. He was still handsome, and there was a smile on his lips. It was a carefree smile, one that knew nothing more than the trials of war and the accomplishments of his young age. It did not yet know the darkness of night. She imagined, again, the three dark women as they squabbled over him as though her were just some sort of toy for their own twisted play.

Yet what made her open her eyes again was the recount of how it felt to be changed. For a moment, she stared at him, taking in those small details, and a bit of disappointment settled over her despite her resolve to not look back on her past. That burning was the only thing she had to go off of, the only hint she had towards her human life. But now she knew it was nothing that could help her, because it was only the memory of her turning. At least she knew that she had been human before that memory, but it gave her no leads. Truly, she had no where to search for anything in her past. It would be a depressing thought for anyone, but Alice smoothed it over in a matter of a few split milliseconds. She couldn't dwell on it. Sitting in front of her was a new future, a new chance to make memories that would eventually be the only past she'd need. Given enough time, the need to know who she really was might fade until she was completely content to exist within the only life she knew. Her small lips pulled back into a gentler smile now, the disappointment leaving her as she continued to hold his larger hand within her small one.

What was fascination for her was his ability. She listened with wide eyes, intent on catching every detail. So…she wasn't the only one with an ability? And apparently, it varied from vampire to vampire. Not every vampire had one. Had she been able to see the future as a human too? She didn't have time to think over this, because a moment later his ability washed over her. Immediately, everything seemed…darker. Though she knew he was doing this, it was hard to fight. Her thoughts took a turn for the worst and her features fell, grip on his hand loosening. Maybe there was no future with him after all. What if he turned his head away in an instant and left her alone again? What if she spent the rest of her life wandering, trying to control her thirst, trying to find out who she was? The depression washed over her, draining her eyes of their normal sparkle even as she tried to fight the affects. As quickly as it had set in, it was gone, and her hand clenched at his again—not too hard, but harder than a normal human. She was excited now, and as the new feeling washed over her, it grew until she was leaning impossibly forward. This atmosphere was one she fit right into. The bright smile formed over her lips again, and suddenly her feature was no where near as bleak as it had been a second ago. Alice might have been the perfect companion to such an atmosphere, as it was this sort of feeling that she almost always exuded. "Tell me more." she whispered in a hushed, excited voice that would have just been a buzz to anyone else in the room. Her speech, even for a vampire, was impossibly fast when she grew this excited. Even when he withdrew the atmosphere again, she didn't budge, still impossibly captivated by his story.

Yet his recount of his depression sobered her up immensely. The tale of Peter and Charlotte was a fairy tale, and it gave her hope that even vampires could find love and not be alone. That minor detail was nothing compared to the longing she felt when she heard of Jasper's depression, and for a moment she wished that she could have found him sooner. She wanted to save him, wanted to save him with all of her long dead heart. She wanted to give him a reason to smile again, for everyone deserved to smile. How horrible a thing it must have been, feeling the emotions of those you were killing. It made a shudder ripple through her, eyes closing for a moment. "You're not a monster, at least not any more than I am. You have the desire to change, Jasper. And you will. I know it." The petite woman promised, her eyes opening again to catch his gaze and hold. She could see the hunger there now, watched it flare as the door opened and the scent of human blood, mixed with the strong smell of the woman's wet skin and hair, washed over them both. Her own hunger peaked a bit, and she had to swallow and gather her wits before she could answer him. But when she did, she smiled again, that impossibly bright and knowing smile.

"Don't worry, Jasper. You won't bite her."

Without waiting for him to answer, she darted out of her seat at a speed faster than any normal human, tugging him to his feet and rushing them both out the door—she was careful to keep her speed down that time, making sure the humans noticed nothing. A few glanced at them, stunned by the impossible beauties. The men were gaping openly at Alice, who shot a few a friendly smile, and the woman who had just came in stopped in her tracks to watch Jasper. There was a longing in her eyes, in the eyes of the men, but Alice did not let herself nor her new companion stay around to feed that desire or their own. Once they were out in the street, she quickened her pace, laughing as the rain danced down upon her and matted her dark hair and her clothing to her body. For a moment, she let go of Jasper's hand, skipping ahead and twirling into the downpour, her arms held high above her head. Carefree, free spirited, full of hope for the future and a longing to get there as fast as she could.

For the first time in her vampiric life, she felt true hope and eagerness.

It wasn't long before she'd lead them to the outskirts of the little city, and then she shot Jasper a challenging look. They'd approached the edge of a set of woods, and there was no one around to witness them. In a childish gesture, she wiggled her finger in a 'come hither' motion and stuck her tongue out at him before taking off at inhuman speeds into the trees. Let him catch her if he could. "I'll tell you everything as soon as you've caught me." her voice called out from the trees, probably 100 feet ahead in only a split second. She'd apparently stopped to give him a chance, because there was a pondering in her voice. "Hm. Looks like I'll have to lose on purpose after all." The observation was followed by a peal of laughter, and it was obvious that she'd seen herself winning if she really wanted to. A second later she'd taken off again, the sound of her footsteps only perceivable to his unnatural senses.


	10. Chapter 10

He followed her as she led him out of the bar. She said that he would not hurt the girl whose precious lifeline smelled so enticing to him now. How did she know? But then he remembered her power. It would take some getting used to, being around someone who knew everything about the future. As they got closer to the woman, who was the same woman from the apartment building earlier, coincidentally, he stopped breathing. Then, for extra reassurance, he clamped his palm over his mouth in such a way that it looked like he was actually holding his mouth shut. The woman paid no attention to this strange gesture. He watched as her eyes went from him, to Alice, and back to him. The longing was still there, but there was something else this time too. He felt it radiate from her like a stab to his stomach. He knew these feelings well. People felt them more often than they were aware. Jealousy. Envy. It was directed at Alice, who walked closely with Jasper, though still in front of him. They could have merely been leaving at the same time. But no, that would be impossibly coincidental. Two unearthly beautiful, ivory pale people leaving at the same time from the same bar, and not leaving together – the chances were slim to none. They had to be leaving together. They were too much alike for it to be coincidence, but too different to be related. He felt the woman's emotions as his own. Jealous because the one that had caught her eye was leaving with a much younger, much more beautiful woman. Envy because the woman _was_ in fact so much younger and impossibly beautiful – how could he _not_ be leaving with her.

And yet, even feeling these emotions, the woman's heartbeat sped faster as he approached. He would like to think that it was because of a fear that she did not understand. So few humans knew that they had a "fight or flight" response biologically engraved in their subconscious. He'd witnessed it. When feeling deeply threatened, the veins in a human's arm, the visible ones right at the inner elbow, would actually recede away from the skin, and the muscle of the bicep would move over it. Protecting it. His kind usually emitted an aura that made humans avoid them, instinctually. He wished it worked solely that way, and that humans would avoid him. But many people ignored their better instincts when faced with the lure of a vampire. Genetically, he was designed to kill. Everything about him, despite that aura, drew people, especially women, closer to him, inviting them in. To them, he looked too beautiful to be real, as if he were from some fairy tale. It made them want to get to know him. His voice sounded smooth as velvet to their ears. It soothed them. Even his smell toyed with their weak noses. Humans were naturally drawn to sweet smelling and sweet tasting things, and he smelled the sweetest of them all. Add all of that to an impossibly fast, impossibly strong body, and his prey were sitting ducks. It was too easy for him. All he would have to do would be to smile at her, and she would follow him outside, daze-like, and he could end her life then and there. That peculiar aura was all he had to rely on to keep people away from him, and therefore keep the temptation away from him. Back in the mid 1800's, people paid attention to that instinct. Not so much anymore.

Her heartbeat thudded at a musical rhythm as he approached, calling to him. Even through her jealousy and envy, he felt her hope. Hope that he was walking towards her. Hope that he would turn from Alice and choose her. She wanted him, deep down. She wanted him badly. Her heart sang to him.

He moved closer to Alice and glared ahead of him.

Why couldn't they ever make it easy for him?

He passed her and followed Alice out of the door with every bit of self-restraint he had. Her disappointment was the last thing he felt before the door closed behind him and his attention was drawn once again to the peculiar and beautiful woman he was with. He watched with a grin on his face as she danced down the street. She sent water droplets flying out in circles as she twirled, and her happiness was infectious. He saw people watching them from other parts of the sidewalk and from inside buildings, and his heart soared with what, pride? He was happy that people saw them together. He wanted them to know that she had chosen him. She wanted him to stay with her for, what, years? She had said years, right? He felt superior to the rest of the humans watching them, not because of his ability or power over them, but because of the woman he was with, who had chosen to be with him.

He looked up to the sky. The atmosphere seemed warmer somehow. The day was no longer as dreary and depressing as he remembered it just a short time ago. There was so much brightness in it now, so much hope. He wondered briefly, if life would always be like this as long as he was with Alice. He would not soon get tired of her ever-present natural high. How did he live without this much happiness in his life before? The depression seemed so far away from him now. As long as she was around, would he always feed off her happiness? Her laughter was contagious. Her hope was addicting. She was like a drug to him.

They made it to the woods, and suddenly she was off.

Following her was never a problem. Her scent was imprinted into his memory. No matter how fast she moved, he could follow it through the trees. Then there was the aura that radiated off her. It was a unique blend that he was quickly beginning to associate hand in hand with her. Something like infinite happiness, hopefulness, and fascination, and then some other feelings that he couldn't quite put into words, and could only describe by certain memories, mostly from when he was a carefree boy, unburdened by the troubles and immensity that the war brought to his life. It was like following the warmth and gleam of the sun in this relatively grim looking forest. No. Following her was certainly not a problem. He was sure that if he so wished, he could follow her to the ends of the earth and back. Following was easy. It seemed right.

It was catching her that was the problem. Every time he thought he surely had her, she always slipped away, as if she anticipated exactly the move he was going to make. But then, of course, she did. No matter how much he invested himself into thinking of a move, and then changing at the last second, she would always discover his ploy and change course just at the last second. He was glad that he had never encountered a newborn with her power. All of his decades of training were of no use. Every trick and technique he had learned in roughly seventy years of fighting meant little more than garbage when up against an opponent who could foresee every move he would make. It was entirely…frustrating. She evaded his grasp and flashes away to some hidden part of the forest. He stopped and stood still, giving up on trying to capture her. Realization dawned on him that she could leave him right now, and not have to worry about him or his problems ever again. For he had no hope of ever catching her if she had no will to be caught. He could only hope that she would come back to him. "Okay, okay. I give up." He marveled at this for a moment. He was certainly no tracker, but he had never before been evaded in a battle. He had always caught his mark. He realized that if he were to stay with Alice for any length of time, he would have to get used to losing in situations like this. Some may have seen her ability as an invasion of privacy, but not he. Jasper was fascinated by her power, and, honestly, a little relieved. It was nice to know that she had seen him, seen who he was, and still decided to come be with him. It was nice to know that he could communicate to her without actually having to speak out loud. She would always know how he truly felt, because she could foresee it. He would always know how she truly felt, because he could feel it himself. It was like they were meant for each other. "Cheater." He added. He stopped walking and stood near a huge tree. The thing had probably been growing there for hundreds of years. It had seen thousands of sunsets and sunrises. He put a hand out, extending his arm, and leaned partially on the tree. "I keep asking about the Cullens, and you keep avoiding my question." He stated gently. If she were going to leave him, now was her perfect opportunity. He would never be able to catch her.


End file.
